“We’re both fine. You saved us.” I don’t think I’ll ever be able to see him as anything less than my hero.
He relaxes against the pillows. “Good.” Then his eyes fall shut for a long time.
I can be patient. This is so huge, I’m thankful he’s alive.
“Am I?” he mutters.
“Are you what, baby?” I let my hand drift down his arm, careful of the tubes and wires taped to him.
His chest rises and falls in a deep exhale. “Am I all fucked up? My body feels…funny.”
“They have you on a lot of pain killers. You had a lot of…cuts.” I don’t want to tell him his back felt like hamburger that night.
I’ve seen his wounds when the nurses changed him. There’s enough sutures to make him look like a railroad map of Europe.
He blinks, refocusing on me. “Did I lose any, um, limbs?”
By the tinge of panic in his face, I’m guessing he’s not asking about a foot or finger.
With a small laugh, I pat his wrist. “You’ll have no problems having more babies.”
“Whew.” This grin is bigger. “I was worried there for a second.”
I lean closer so the nurses can’t hear me. “Your magical dick is safe. It just has a big ass tube in it right now.” Giggling, I give his cheek a kiss as I watch him squeeze his eyes shut.
“Oh fuck,” he groans. “I didn’t want to know that.”
The worry starts to fade now that he’s talking. All of the fears I’ve fought this past week feel like they lighten. It’s been the not knowing that was the hardest part.
“When can we go home?” He tries to raise his head, then falls back with a wince.
“You’ve been on a ventilator for a week. It might take a little time. I’m just so damn happy you’re awake.” I want to touch every piece of him, take away the pain.
“Wait? Like a coma?” He tries to raise his hand to his face, but the wires restrict his movement. He pauses, staring at them like he’s confused they’re there. “I’m so sorry.”
Now I’m the one perplexed. “For what? Your body needed to heal. They said you’d be in so much pain…” I drift off, the agony of knowing he’s suffering makes my chest ache.
“Did they get him?” he asks, watching me intently.
I know exactly who he’s thinking about. My head shakes in a silent reply.
“Does the sheriff know?” His eyes flicker across the ceiling and his nostrils flare.
I wonder if he’s reliving that fight in the moments before the explosion. “Yea, I told him everything I remembered. He said one of the barrels was rigged and it was the shrapnel that—” I choke on the words. “—cut you up so badly. If it had been the truck, we would probably both be dead.”
His head tilts with surprise. “My rig is okay?”
“Um, I wouldn’t exactly say that. The rear end is totaled.” I frown and shift my belly to hang off the side of the bed. I can feel the flutter of our baby, reminding me that there’s more important things now than a vehicle.
Standing this long makes not only my leg, but my back tired.
“Can you crawl up here with me? I want to hold you. This isnothow I envisioned our honeymoon.” His fingers wiggle, beckoning me closer.
“I have to be quick or the nurses will get mad.” Stepping onto the side, I shimmy next to him, careful not to brush his bandages.
But once his arm wraps around me, and he kisses my temple, there isn’t a person in the world who can pry me away.
Just bitching
